Convertible rail-highway mine car

ABSTRACT

A convertible rail-ground mine supply car with good ground clearance is described which operates both on rails and the mine floor surface which is equipped with rail-engaging wheels and manually operated ground-engaging wheels which are quickly and easily converted from the up or down position. The convertible rail-ground mine supply car is also equipped with a tongue which can be stored inconspicuously in the body of the car while the car is on the rails and can be extended readily upon the body of the car and adjusted for attachment to a mine tractor or the like.

14 1 Sept. 16, 1975 3,717,108 2/1973 Thompsonmm... 105/215 C 3,756,163

[ CONVERTIBLE RAIL-HIGHWAY MINE CAR [75] Inventor: John Janes Benton Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr.

Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch [73] Assignee: The Standard Oil Company,

Cleveland, Ohio Feb. 21, 1974 Attorney, Agent, or FirmJohn F. Jones; Sherman J. Kemmer Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A convertible rail-ground mine supply car with good 21 Appl. No.: 444,417

[52] Us. 105/2l5 C; 105/364. 280/415 ground clearance is described which operates both on rails and die mine floor surface which is equipped with rail-engaging wheels and manually operated groundengaging wheels which are quickly and easily con- 280/491 A B61D 15/00 verted from the up or down position. The convertible rail-ground mine supply car is also equipped with a tongue which can be stored inconspicuously in the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS body of the car while the car is on the rails and can be extended readily upon the body of the car and adjusted for attachment to a mine tractor or the like.

3,353,504 Kersey et a1. 105/215 C 3.410577 Luinstra..... 280/478 A 3 556 561 280/482 3 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED SEPI 61975 sum u o g CONVERTIBLE RAIL-HIGHWAY IVIINE CAR The present invention relates to a mine rail supply car and more particularly pertains to a mine supply car which is convertible and will run on either conventional rail or road surfaces.

Many types of convertible rail-highway mine cars have been previously described, see, for instance, the convertible mine cars described in US. Pat. Nos. 3,717,108 and 3,353,504. Although the prior cars are useful for this purpose, the convertible supply car of the present invention has several unobvious advantages thereover.

The apparatus of the present invention is believed to be more practical for use in a mine than those apparatuses of the prior art. Some of the prior art convertible mine apparatuses, for instance, have not worked successfully in mines because they offer insufficient ground clearance between the rubber-tire wheels and the mine floor when the rubber-tired wheels are in the up position. The slightest obstruction, such as a small rock or lump of coal alongside the track would engage the raised rubber wheel and lift the car off the rail track. Hand-operated hydraulic pumps for raising and lowering wheels have been used in convertible rail cars but they usually are too slow. For those reasons the usual mechanical or hydraulic mechanisms used in the prior art apparatuses to raise the load as the rubbertired ground-engaging wheels are lowered have not been completely satisfactory.

l have developed a pivoting arrangement to readily raise and lower the ground-engaging rubber wheels in a convertible rail supply car whereby only a small effort is required to swing the ground-engaging wheels manually into engagement with the ground because gravity assists the operator and also winds the torsion spring which assists in the subsequent raising of the wheels into the up position. Slots or depressions are required in the floor of the mine alongside and near the end of the rail where the convertible supply ear is located for the rubber-tired wheels to drop into when they are manually swung to the down position. The supply car is then usually attached to a mine tractor which pulls the supply car out of the slots so that the load of the supply car is lifted and supported by the rubber wheels on the mine floor surface.

The supply car of this invention enables supplies for use in an underground or below-ground-level mine to be loaded on the surface, transported underground or below ground, on a rail track by means of rail-engaging wheels to the end of the track where a pair of rubbertired wheels can then be lowered from the supply car into a slot or depression in the mine floor parallel to the tracks to engage the floor, and the supply car can then be transported over the floor of the mine away from the rail tracks to the working section where the supplies are to be used.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a convertible rail-to-road supply car which offers good clearance both when on the rail track and when on the ground.

Another object is the provision of a supply car which is extremely maneuverable on the ground surface.

Another object is the provision of a supply car having a unique tongue arrangement which makes the tongue inconspicuous while the car is on the rail track but which is easily made operational when the car is rolling on the mine floor.

That these and other objects have been accomplished will become apparent from a reading of the following description and claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view partly in phantom of the mine supply car showing the tongue partially extended and locked.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view the same as FIG. 2 showing the rubber wheels and jacks in the up position and tongue completely stowed.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view partly in phantom of the rail supply car.

FIG. 7 is a view of the tongue taken along line 77 I in FIG. 6, with tongue completely stowed.

FIG. 8 is like FIG. 7 except that the tongue is extended.

FIG. 9 is like FIG. 8 except that the tongue is only partially extended.

FIG. 10 is a view taken along line 10-l0 in FIG. 6.

In order to lower the rubber-tired wheels 3 from the up position shown in FIG. 3 to the down and groundengaging position shown in FIG. 2, the crank 1 is inserted into socket 2 and the crank l is operated manually to swing the wheels 3 into the down position. It is preferable to put the wheels 3 down into a trench in the ground as shown in FIG. 2. After the wheels 3 are in the down position, a latch 4 will engage a ratchet 5 and the wheels 3 become locked in this position. The crank 1 is then removed from the socket 2 and is stowed until needed to raise the wheels 3.

The tongue 9 is attached to a mine tractor clevis (not shown) by first lifting the tongue lever 11 and pulling the tongue 9 out of the supply car body to the position shown in FIG. 8. When the tongue 9 is in this position, it may be elevated to the height of the mine tractor clevis and connected to the tractor by a pin or the like. After the mine tractor clevis has been connected to the tongue 9, the mine tractor is backed toward the supply car forcing the tongue 9 back into the supply car body into the position shown in FIG. 9. The tongue latch 10 will automatically engage the pin 12, and in this position the tongue is rigid and the car can be pushed or pulled by the tractor as required into any area of the mine not equipped with rail track.

In order to convert the ground-engaging wheels 3 back to the up position shown in FIG. 3, the supply car is pulled over the rail track so that the wheels 3 are in the excavation alongside each rail shown in FIG. 2. The metal track-engaging wheels 13 are then in contact with or nearly in contact with the respective rails of the track 14. Next. the crank l is inserted into the socket 2. Latch release lever 6 is pushed to disengage the latch 4 from the ratchet 5. The wheels 3 are then swung manually into the upright position shown in FIG. 3 by means of the crank, which operation is assisted by the normal torsion provided by the spring 7.

The tongue 9 is next changed from the partly extended position shown in FIG. 9 back to the completely stowed position shown in FIG. 7 by lifting the tongue latch release lever 11 and pushing the tongue 9 into the body of the car. When the tongue is in the position shown in FIG. 7, the cars can be pulled or pushed in train on the track 14.

The supply car of the present invention offers more than usual ground clearance both when the car is on the railroad track and when it is on the rubber wheels engaging the ground. The supply car of this invention is very maneuverable on the ground because it has only two rubber ground-engaging wheels. The supply car of this invention is equipped with a tongue which slides into the body of the car while it is on the track; however, the tongue can be extended, elevated to the level of a battery tractor, easily attached to the tractor and locked into a stiff position which will provide for either pushing or pulling the supply car by means of the tongue.

The rubber wheels of the supply car of the present invention are light enough to permit easy and quick raising and lowering of both wheels at the same time. This rapid raising and lowering of both rubber wheels at the same time can be done manually. A spring is provided which assists the operator while manually raising the rubber wheels. A spring is provided through which the pivoting axle passes; one end of the spring is attached to the pivoting axle and the other attaches to the underside of the car body. When the two rubber wheels are lowered, by gravity-assisted manual lowering, the spring is put in torsion which will aid the operator when the rubber wheels are to be raised. The rubber wheels are locked in the lowered position by a toothed ratchet gear secured to the pivoting axle. When the rubber wheels are in the down position, a dog engages the ratchet gear and holds the wheels in the down position. A lever located within reach of the operator must be pushed to release the dog from the ratchet when it is desired to raise the wheels.

I claim:

1. A convertible rail-highway mine car and the like having four rail-engaging wheels and two groundengaging wheels, said ground-engaging wheels being manually movable from an up or storage position to a down or ground-engaging position by means of a pivoting axle and rotatable lever which are torsion-spring assisted in the movement to the up position, the movement of said pivoting axle being controlled by means of a toothed ratchet gear, a latch to engage said ratchet gear and a latch release lever.

2. The car of claim 1 in which the ground-engaging wheels are rubber tired.

3. The car of claim 2 which is also equipped with a telescoping tongue which can be completely stowed in the body of the car when the rail-engaging wheels are in use and can be extended for use in pulling or pushing the car when the ground-engaging wheels are in use.

l =l l 

1. A convertible rail-highway mine car and the like having four rail-engaging wheels and two ground-engaging wheels, said groundengaging wheels being manually movable from an up or storage position to a down or ground-engaging position by means of a pivoting axle and rotatable lever which are torsion-spring assisted in the movement to the up position, the movement of said pivoting axle being controlled by means of a toothed ratchet gear, a latch to engage said ratchet gear and a latch release lever.
 2. The car of claim 1 in which the ground-engaging wheels are rubber tired.
 3. The car of claim 2 which is also equipped with a telescoping tongue which can be completely stowed in the body of the car when the rail-engaging wheels are in use and can be extended for use in pulling or pushing the car when the ground-engaging wheels are in use. 